Believe
by Keeper of Tomes
Summary: Little anecdotes about daily life in the Atmos, on both sides of a waging war. Lives change, and yet somehow, people cling to the little things. Beauty is found in unexpected places. Hate lives side by side with love. 3rd drabble series, but not the last!
1. Hiccup in My Day

The Condor was jarred with rolling blows, the metal frame complaining with loud rumbles. Stork struggled to hold the ship under control, pupils rolling like pinballs. He flew around, trying to dodge the blasts. But how do you dodge something...that's inside the ship?

Aerrow stumbled out of his room.

"Are we under attack?" he asks.

"Nope," Piper answers, hanging onto the doorknob for dear life. "It's worse. Much worse."

"Well, what is it?" The ship does a barrel roll; everyone is tipped upside down, then back again.

Piper answers, rather tersely. "It's Junko. Junko has the hiccups."

"HIC!"


	2. Growing Up

They called us children. One glance, and they thought they knew us. They didn't bother looking beyond what our age was, or appeared to be. They just tossed the name at us. The name stuck.

We aren't children.

Sure, we're young. Under normal circumstances, we'd be in school. But when times demand it, you rise to the occasion. Childhood is not a time period. It's a mindset.

People grow up when they choose to.

For many, maturity comes in an instant. A moment. A glimmer of realization.

Piper grew up when she first held a crystal and saw its beauty.

Finn? When he first looked into a sight, aimed, and found his mark.

Junko never really left childhood, but his mind matured when he decided he was going to be different.

Stork? Actually, Stork grew up a long time ago. But being with us helped him realize it.

And me?

I suppose...

I suppose I grew up when I first turned my eyes to the sky...and realized I wanted to fly.


	3. Thoughts of War

I stopped believing in humans too long ago. I realized that times, they change, and people stay behind.

I refused to become one of those people.

I refused to let any one person, any one human being, interfere with my life. I refused to let something as trivial as "emotion", take me over.

Killers don't feel emotion.

In times of war, things change. You can slaughter men, and you'll get a medal. You can refuse to kill, and you'll be thrown in jail. Hope rides on gossamer wings. Death soars on a vulture's back.

Shadows take over every soul. People look at things differently.

Darkness becomes a way of life.

I'll never stop hating, however. I know never is forever, that an eternity is a long time to feel one specific feeling. But time has made me a "forever" kind of person. I don't let go as easily as others.

My heart…if you can call that dark pit inside me a heart…is made of quicksand. It doesn't release. Things sink in and they don't come out.

A black hole.

OOO

A/N: It begged to be written. In case you haven't figured out who's talking, it's the Dark Ace.


	4. Moonlit Love

We stood silently underneath the half full moon.

The wind whistled through our hair, a slight annoyance. My hair's always been somewhat of a nuisance to me.

But his hair floats like gossamer. Night doesn't dim the color, it enriches it.

He's staring away, eyes fixed on the terra below us, making sure Stork landed on the right spot.

I'm staring at him, eyes fixed on his earlobe, his temples, his cheeks.

And I remember how in love I am.

OOO

A/N: Thanks Ambrel, for pumping my head chock full with drabble ideas. I can't write 'em down fast enough.

Oh, and...one more thing...

Piper's PoV. 'He' is ambiguous. Because I'm evil like that.


	5. What to Do

I...

Don't...

Like...

Him.

He asked me out.

I don't know what to say.

We're...great friends, and all, but I don't want to have a relationship with...with...HIM!

What do you DO, in times like this?

What do you SAY?

I cling to my firm belief: Hoping for hope is not enough.

I've gotta do something.

But what?

I feel trapped. I don't want to hurt him. But...I don't want to get involved in something like this. At ALL.

I can't avoid this forever. Like the arrow will eventually find its mark, like the salmon always finds its way upstream. I won't be able to just put this aside and be hunky dory.

What to do?

OOO

A/N: There is a story behind this story. That's all I will say.

Piper's PoV. And again, the 'Him' is most definitely anonymous.


	6. Birds of a Feather

Why do we respect birds so much?

I mean...

They're just these little, fluffy, balls of...of fluffy fluff-fluff. That...fly.

So what?

I can fly.

Just because God didn't give ME natural wings, doesn't mean I'm worse than them.

I can shoot arrows. I can fight. I can ROCK.

Birds just sit around and...sing.

Maybe we like them because they bring us home.

They're a constant.

You can't go anywhere without seeing birds.

But seriously. If a chick had to choose between me, and a bird, who do you think she'd pick?

Actually...

Don't answer that.

OOO

A/N: My Finn muse was talking very loudly today. I like this chapter, it made me smile.


	7. Fire Tears

The moon was a patch of white on dark blue quilt of sky, and everyone looked up with admiring eyes.

"Werewolves. We'll get eaten by werewolves," Stork mumbled. "And Moon Fever!"

Piper shushed him.

It was beautiful, the full moon.

Aerrow grinned.

"It's almost time," he declared.

The first meteor fell lonesomely, a solitary red streak across the quilt.

Then, another joined it.

The sky wept fire.

The moon beamed.

The Storm Hawks watched as the sky fell.

OOO

A/N: Gracias to Dragonwings144 for giving me the idea with your story, "Shades". Meteors! Whee!


	8. Reasons

"I hate it here."

He admitted it with vigor, spit flying from his mouth as the words dove forward.

"I do too."

I say the words, hesitantly. Someone might be listening.

"I mean, I joined to fight the Storm Hawks. And I'm stuck here, on patrol duty." He leans over the side of his skimmer and frowns.

"I understand."

I do, I really do.

I joined the Talons to fight the Storm Hawks. I joined because I wanted revenge.

My brother was only sixteen when he was blasted from the sky. By THEM.

"We should head back." The sky is darkening.

"Remember what happened to..." The sentence dies, and its soul is carried away by the breeze. We nod at each other and head for home.


	9. Cyclonian Swine

We hid in some unknown cave, on some unknown terra. It didn't matter where we were, just as long as we were far away from...THEM.

The large, dark blue shapes hunkered around the sky, with a bovine clumsiness about them.

I never did like Sky Sharks.

One of them almost found us.

Poked his nose into the crevasse.

Then he backed out.

Maybe he didn't smell us.

Or maybe we weren't worth the trouble.

Yeah, Cyclonian swine, right?

Not even Sky Sharks like us.

OOO

A/N: Bit vague, I understand. Although it did kinda nag me, so I felt obligated to write it down. I just can't figure out what it's missing. Help would be appreciated.

Oh, and I have a poll up on my profile. Go, check it out! Please!


	10. Sky Thief

I stole the sky.

I stole it with a glance.

Stuck here, in this lonely cell, with nothing but cement walls and an iron cot for company, I caught the moon in my eyes.

The wooden shutter wasn't supposed to be open.

I wasn't supposed to be able to see.

But I hacked at the wood with a spoon. I hacked and I dug and I peeled.

The sky revealed itself to me, a dark blue sheet.

It calmed me.

To know that out there, the sky still existed.

When you're sitting in prison...time slows.

I'm a thief.

Lying here, I realize they're going to find the hole.

I'm going to be punished.

But it was worth it.

I stole the sky...but I had to put it back.

It doesn't belong to me.

OOO

A/N: It can be whoever you want it to be.

I'm reading a deliciously good book called "The Book Thief". It's the kind of book where you have to read every page ten times, in order to appreciate every word, every space, every period. I got the idea for this from that book.


	11. Breathe

Music is a living thing.

And what, you ask, makes an object...live? What classifies something as alive?

Breath.

It's the musician's job to pump breath into their instrument, to create life. And when the instrument begins to breathe, well, then you've created music.

I remember this every time my fingers touch the violin.

I remember I'm handling something that can die, if I'm too rough.

When the bow strikes the string, and you hear the first note, you begin to relax. Your head swims. Your mind becomes blank. You're holding a conversation with something that understands.

Every note played is a word. The end of every word is the beginning of the next one.

I let the music build itself up to a raging climax, a torrent of sounds. I hold out the highest one. It floats through the air. My ears, and the ears of the world, long for a resolution.

I wait.

I grab the lingering note from space with my bow. I pin it down. I play the final chord.

The straining in my heart settles.

I set the violin down.

It dies.

But I'll wake it up again. I'll breathe life into it.

I'll make music.

OOO

A/N: I was a bit out of character, right there. But I was practicing piano, and the idea for this floated around inside my head. Music is a wonderful thing, isn't it?


	12. Wakeup Call

The alarm blared, red lights pulsing like heartbeats, the hallways of Cyclonia lighting up.

There was a banging on the door.

All five of the young men stumbled out of bed, sheets tangled around their legs.

"Wha' 'ime i' it?"

"Dunno..."

Yawns echoed against the bare walls.

"WAKE UP! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!"

Whoever had been banging left, and the young Talons glanced at each other.

Attack?

What the...?

They dressed quickly, before hunkering into the corridor, trying to look macho. Which is difficult, at two in the morning.

One of them spied an older Talon racing towards the throne room.

"Who is it?" He asked it softly, so that the words evaporated like steam.

"Storm Hawks," the other answered, so casually that it might have been a joke.

"Does this happen a lot?"

"All the time." And he ran down the hallway.

All five of the newbies stared at each other. The same thought flashed across every young, naive, mind.

This was NOT what they signed up for.


	13. Sense of Duty

She played with her pony tail absentmindedly, a thousand thoughts twirling through her groggy mind.

She felt the stares falling on her back, and refused to turn. Lately, she kept to herself more than anything.

Her violet locks dangled sloppily in short spikes, shooting over her face.

It was a strange sense of duty, she concluded. That was why she didn't take the offer.

The Storm Hawks were wonderful. Far more energetic and daring than her team ever was. They made her laugh, something she rarely did. Not since she'd lost her old friends had she been able to let herself...smile. It was a small revelation. A miracle.

But it was like an act of betrayal.

It was as if she were desecrating their memory.

She was an Interceptor. Always would be.

She stood and stared at the midday sun with interest.

Noon.

Time to fly.

OOO

A/N: Not wanting to sound pushy or anything...

BUT WHY ARE NONE OF Y'ALL VOTING? (on my poll...)

There. That's my flame for the day. G'night!

PS: It's Starling I'm writing about, in case ya didn't figure it out.


	14. Whisper Eyes

Her eyes were the color of whispers.

He would never forget them.

They had won a brisk, crushing victory over a terra, rich in crystal deposits. The civilians had been rounded up quickly, set to work in the mines.

He had been laughing, his face open with smiles and grins. His friends were slapping their thighs and pointing at certain characters in the crowd. He glanced over, more in curiosity than anything.

He noticed an abnormality.

One woman was too slow.

Her breathing was too uneven.

She set her pickax down gently, before sitting on the dusty ground. She fell slowly, her heart stopping in one painful moment, before it was...over.

Should he ever have to meet Death, he wished he could meet him the way she had.

He walked over, oblivious to the laughs and snickers from the others.

He nudged the body with his foot.

He felt a tug on his sleeve.

He saw her.

A girl.

The daughter, perhaps.

And her eyes...

She wasn't crying. She wasn't tearing up. She was still, blank, a shadow. Her eyes were silver, transparent, colorless.

The color of clouds at twilight.

He looked around, at the bodies of humans that were beginning to litter the terra.

This was his doing.

Her nothing-tinted eyes pierced him, long after he turned around and walked away, back towards the other Talons.

A haunting.

A truth.

A whisper.


	15. Silent Souls

A followed them for many a year, and they cheated me more than once.

They laughed in my face, they scorned me.

It made me smile, seeing their youthfulness. Their innocent happiness. Their naive beliefs.

I was happy, every time I lost. I was glad to see them continue with the ever important task of living.

It hurt when it was time to collect.

I heard his soul call.

I tried to block it out.

But I can't do that. It's in the job description.

I crept onto the ship with shadows sliding off of me.

He greeted me, sitting up, eyes fixed onto my face.

His body was broken, blood was on the floor, and his friends were huddled around him.

I took the soul in my arms.

I rarely ever do that.

Normally...

Normally I just pull them along.

But I felt different with him.

The red hair of his soul floated in the midnight breeze as I left.

As I turned, I could still see the silver blade, jutting from his chest. A chest once filled with breathing lungs and a beating heart. He was only a child.

It kills me, sometimes, how people die.

OOO

A/N: Did something a little less conventional. Death narrates this story.

And the last line is from "The Book Thief".


	16. Holding On

I'm holding her, and I can't let go.

She feels fragile in my arms.

Delicate.

Like a flower in the desert, or ice in summer.

I can't let go.

Once I let go, she's truly gone. Her death becomes real. Her heart beat is lost forever.

Blood flows like water. It's red. So very, very, very, red.

She feels splintered, broken. As if I'm the only thing keeping her from falling to pieces.

And her attacker stands in the distance.

He's not smiling.

He's staring at me.

I don't cry.

How can I?

Tears are only temporary.

This is forever.

She's gone.

I'm holding her. But it's just a body.

The others pull at me. I don't stand. I let the war continue.

Go ahead, kill each other.

I'll just sit here...holding onto the angel that fell from heaven...and landed in my arms.

OOO

A/N: It could be anyone. I left both the dead girl, and the narrator, anonymous, although I wrote it with specific characters in mind. It's up to you. :'O

O, and thanks a million to everyone, all four of you, who voted. You ROCK!!


	17. Shopping Duty

She hated shopping. It was a thankless task; she would trudge home, her arms laden with a week's worth of groceries, and set them down, before relaxing, for three milliseconds. Then, her mother would send her off onto some other chore: Washing the dishes, cleaning her room, or doing her seemingly endless amount of homework.

But of all her hated tasks, shopping was the one she hated the most.

She hated it because it meant going outside. It meant leaving her safe, warm, room. It meant opening the door, climbing out of her house, which was carved into the terra, and making her way up a precariously thin set of stairs. It meant shaking and stumbling her way through uncaring crowds, arguing with stubborn shopkeepers, and trotting through crystal fuel.

But most of all, it meant seeing that red, forbidding, sky. It meant the swarms of Talons and their skimmers, dipping in endless lines, swooping through the gray clouds that clung to the terras with a stubborn existence.

She marched past the corner, noticing for a few minutes the crazy girl that sat there, empty bowl in her hands, stupid smile on her face. She was timeless. The world walked by, and she was blissfully invisible.

She found the vegetable stand. Everything was imported. Nothing grew in Cyclonia, save crystals and metal.

"Three silver pieces," the shopkeeper grunted, when she pointed at the cabbages.

"I'll give you two silver pieces and one copper." She raised an eyebrow.

"Three or nothing."

"Two silver and two copper," she offered, holding out the money.

"Make that two silver and four copper, and it's done." The shopkeeper glared. "I got children of me own, you know."

"Fine." She handed the money over, before picking out the freshest cabbage of the lot. "Where was this grown?"

"Gale. Good ol' Cyclonian sweat, and what not, eh?" The man grinned.

She allowed a small grin to grace her tired face, before the shopkeeper shooed her away. She headed back to the corner, where the crazy girl sat, smiling her timeless smile.

In the distance, dark terras loomed, and the highest of them all carried steel walls and metal runways. The palace's tined ceiling carved into the red sky.

She turned towards home.

She was late.

OOO

A/N: Long, long, long, very long, but it was fun to write. Cyclonian civilians intrigue me.

And right now, we've got a tie on my poll between "Stand Firm" and "Closing Doors". Who shall be the tiebreaker?!


	18. I Never Thought

His heartbeat shuddered.

It flipped.

It collided with itself.

Then...if faded.

Disappeared.

Vanished.

His body was very still, and very cold.

He fell to the ground, with an earthly, morose, THUD.

_THUD._

And everyone looked at him.

At the pool of blood that was flowing freely.

At his vacant red eyes, staring into oblivion.

At the green skinned Merb who was standing next to him, red blade still clutched in his trembling hands, small pupils darting around in sporadic spasms.

Three words were uttered, over and over.

"I never thought..."

And it floated through the crowd, like some sort of demon.


	19. The One and Only

"But...but...but..."

"No buts."

"That's so unfair!"

I scream in total exasperation. Finn is such a blockhead.

"It's part of the plan; you're the only person who can do this. Just-"

"I am NOT Cyclonian bait!"

"You are now."

Finn glares at me. "I'm the only one?"

"That makes you special, Finn. Unique."

"Really?" He lights up. "I'm special?"

"The one and only." I force a smile.

"Fine!" And he flies off.

Ha.

OOO

A/N: Polls still tied. And I don't want to have to be the tie breaker, folks. So someone go hit that pretty button on my profile that says "Vote Now".


	20. April Fools

Piper yawned noisily as she strode to the kitchen, her hair still wet from her morning shower.

She opened the door.

The room was empty.

Except for one person.

"Hi, Aerrow," she mumbled.

He seemed very grave.

"Piper, I have a question." He looked her in the eyes.

"Shoot," she said, smiling.

He drew himself closer, so that they were almost touching.

Her heart fluttered.

"Piper, will you..." He paused, as if looking for the right words. "Will you go out with me?"

Her mouth flopped open. _Say yes, say yes..._She so wanted to say yes. Her tongue was poised, ready to form the letters, when...

"HA HA HA!"

Finn and Junko jumped out from behind the fridge. "You shoulda seen your...your face...HA!"

"Happy April Fool's Day, Piper," Aerrow said, chuckling. He slipped his arm around her shoulders. She forced a grin.

How could she have forgotten?

He smiled broadly at her.

If only he knew.


	21. Four Minus One

The stars trickled across the dark sky, reminders of heaven.

Three skimmers dove down onto the Condor, wheels leaving dark marks across the metal runway.

Four had taken off.

A dark haired girl got off her ride and stood, but only for a few moments. She collapsed onto the ground, her body shaking. Her screams were carried on by the wind.

"Why him? Why him?"

And her friend got off too, his arms shaking, red hair drooping over his wet and shiny face.

He made no noise.

The Wallop got off last, and his arms shook as well, because lying in them was a boy, whose blond hair was streaked with red.

They all imagined there was still a heartbeat inside him.

But if it was there...

If it was there, it had a strange way of showing itself.

And three friends knelt, clustered around their fallen comrade, wondering for the hundredth time if this war was worth fighting.

OOO

A/N: Ooh, somebody's gonna get me for this.

I mean, killing the Finn man?

Somebody gonna getta hurta real bad.

And that somebody is ME.


	22. Colors

Colors define.

Colors enrich.

Colors speak.

The skies of Atmos are an endless stream of colors, from dawn to dusk.

Morning, and it's gray, so very gray, and the sun is still asleep. The mist clings to the houses, the skimmers, the ships, like hands, gripping, finding crevices to creep into.

Noon, and it's golden. The sky is like heaven. And it bleeds sunlight. The wind floats, a thin layer of silver, and the sky becomes a mine of precious metals, gold and silver, side by side.

Battles fall into this space of time, battles between people, humans, squabblers who didn't stand still long enough to look at the colors.

Evening, and it's darker, a musty, chocked, blue, and the sun is yawning. The sky is splattered with blood.

And so comes dusk, and the clouds are red, as if they're sponges that soaked up the carnage, and the sun is orange, no longer golden, and the day ends with a BANG.

Night. Night is black.

Night is regret.

Night is when the tears are shed.

And the stars are pretty diamonds, pretty little diamonds, colorless and cold.

Like ghosts.

OOO

A/N: Experimenting with a new style here. It might sound a little breathless, a little rushed, but just so you understand, that's kinda the POINT.

I've decided that I'm going to make Amazing Grace a full blown story, while Stand Firm will be drabbles.

Au revoir.


	23. One More Time

"Ha, real funny, Finn."

Every. Single. Time.

I'd ask her, over and over.

"Please, just one dance?"

"Ha, real funny, Finn."

And she'd turn back to...whatever she was doing. Mapping, cleaning, refining crystals, and on and on.

I'd grin my broadest grin, stand right behind her, and ask, one more time.

"One dance?"

Same answer.

"Ha, real funny, Finn."

But I leave the radio on.

Just in case.


	24. Fluorescent Bulb

He was ever distant, so mysterious. So reserved.

And yet, she couldn't help but melt when she saw him.

Somewhere, in the musty spaces of her heart, she harbored a strange feeling for him.

Was it love?

Unlikely.

But something about how he spoke, how he looked at her, how his eyes pierced the toughest of people with a glance, made her sink.

The emotion inside was like a fluorescent light; when you first flick it on, it's dark, dim. But it slowly brightens, until the entire room is filled with a warm, white hot glow. It's so gradual, you don't even notice it until it's already taken over.

She knew he was different from her.

She knew it could never be.

But those facts didn't stop her from wanting, craving, yearning.

Hoping.

OOO

A/N: Dark Ace is the 'he', and yes, I'm a craaaazy copy cat. Apologies, Ambrel. :-/

Oh, and one more thing: Amazing Grace's first chapter will be up either tonight, or tomorrow afternoon. Sooooo...

Again with the copying. Ambrel, my friend, you have excellent ideas. It's a "READER CHOOSES THE PLOT" thing. The poll shall rise as soon as the chapter rises, too.

Crystal Lit...OUT.


	25. Caffeinated Hell

"WHEE! NAGA! KAN! JAMBALAYA! KUMBAYA!"

The entire team, minus one, sat down with hands cupped over their ears. Aerrow blew a few stray hairs out of his face before speaking out over the din.

"Is it possible for him to SHUT UP!?"

Everyone else shrugged.

Piper moaned and thumped her head on the table.

"Remind me, one more time, which IDIOT allowed Finn to have caffeine," she muttered.

Finn streaked by, still shouting nonsensical words at the top of his lungs.

Stork stuck corks in his ears and turned back to the ever important task of pessimism.


	26. Dreaming

He'd never held a dead body before.

Never.

And as she lay in his arms, he realized it wasn't as bad as they said it was.

Depending on who you held.

He looked down on her pale face, thick lashes heavy with tears. His or hers, it didn't matter. Her eyes were still open, violet irises speckled with white dots of light. He reached over and closed them.

Her blood oozed out of the open wound in her side, just below her ribs, and her opened veins showed no restraint in letting out their contents.

She felt cold to the touch.

He'd never touched her before.

He remembered the almost brotherly pride he'd felt, when she took the throne. The near bestial protectiveness he had over her.

He set her down, her thin body resting on the uneven floor.

The wind ruffled her hair, and for a moment, she looked as if she was merely sleeping.

Dreaming.

Of what, he didn't know.

He could only kneel on the cold ground, hands folded, swearing revenge.


	27. Beacon in the Storm

The beacon tower flashes gold, and it's a pretty thing to look at.

Staring out of my classroom window is probably the most interesting thing I do, during school. It's so darn slow on Atmosia, you know? As if nothing's ever going to happen to us.

I was almost glad when Carver stole the Aurora Stone.

At least it gave us something to talk about.

I mean, seriously. Dark Ace, landing right in front of my door!

That's something to tell the kids.

Well, if I ever have children. I'm still a kid myself. But man, have I got a lot to live up to.

Our new beacon tower is powered by a Solaris Crystal. Not half as strong as the Aurora Stone, but the yellow glow's nice, especially at night. The Council sent out several crystal specialists to find a crystal strong enough.

My dad was one of them.

See, crystals are my family's passion. It has a lot to do with several of our ancestors, one of which was Rash.

I never hear the end of it about him.

He was the only one to ever find an Infinity Stone. My dad rants about him for ages. I sit down and politely pretend to listen.

Yipee.

So my great great whatever found a rare crystal and ended up in the history books. My dad probably will, too. And me?

No one's ever really ASKED what I wanted. Or cared, for that matter.

As if I want to trudge around Atmos, looking for tiny stones that'll probably end up in some vault or museum. Away from my family. Dad doesn't realize that he's missed ninety nine percent of my life. He's always off looking for the next big thing. He wanted a son, and ended up with yours truly. But did that stop him? No. He drilled every crystal known to man into my skull so that, by the age of nine, I could tell stones apart by SMELL. Yes, I said smell.

Mom hated him. She said he's making me someone I'm not.

Then she up and died.

So now I'm living with my grandpa. And he's worse than my father.

Sometimes, I wish my family wasn't such a pain in the tucus.

And so I avert my attention to the beacon tower.

It's such a nice thing to look at.

Flashing gold.

A light in the storm.

OOO

A/N: LOOONG. Too long. But fun! Review, I wanna know what you thought about my "drabble turned friggin essay".


	28. He Is

He's...

He's...

He's such an IDIOT.

He's so stupid, and he acts like a five year old, and he's so darn cocky.

I don't know who his parents were, and I'm not sure I want to either, because anyone THAT out of it must've had a horrible family.

He's a pain in the neck, the behind, and every other body part known to man.

He's...

He's a friend.

A soldier.

A wonderful human being.

And that's why I love him.

OOO

A/N: Yay, Finn/Piper goodness. Yum.


	29. I Killed

I felt like throwing up.

Really, I did.

I stared at the blood that was all over him, all over me. I stared at the blade that had finished it all, the red streaked silver that was still jutting from his body.

My stomach threatened to quit on me.

_I killed..._

_I killed..._

I know, I know, I've been fighting him for so long. I've been hunting him, dreaming him, seeing him when he's not there.

It's turned into an obsession.

_I killed..._

_I killed..._

But watching him fall, feeling his heart stop, his lungs collapse, I realized for the first time that he had been a human being. Maybe someone had loved him. Maybe he had loved someone back. And I also realized...

_I killed..._

_I killed..._

I realized that he had been fighting for his home. For his kingdom. As I had fought for mine.

Did he have wishes?

Other than defeating me, I mean.

_I killed..._

_I killed..._

It's not easy, losing. But sometimes, it's even harder to win.

_I killed him._

I killed him.

I regret it.

I don't know if that makes me crazy...or human.


	30. Siren's Song

It's all about the control.

The obsession.

The desire.

I do it, just for those three things.

Diving into people's heads.

Climbing through their memories.

I know more about those humans than they know about themselves.

I know all their dreams, their forgotten days, their weaknesses.

And I exploit it.

It's a twisted little game I play.

And I never lose.

So you can imagine my surprise, when one day, someone beat me.

But he wasn't human. So I didn't mind as much.

Humans are all weak little things.

I lurk in the stormy clouds of the Expanse, waiting, lurking. Stalking minds like a hunter.

And when I find one, I pounce, and drain it dry.

OOO

A/N: It's the Sky Siren talking. Just FYI.


	31. Together Forever

We watched ten thousand star filled nights, together.

We fought ten thousand battles, together.

We laughed a million laughs, together.

Losing one...

Losing one means we lose the entire team.

Because we're no longer together.

Spending our entire childhoods embracing the theory of togetherness, it's hard to split up.

Watching stars...alone.

Fighting fights...alone.

Laughing...alone.

These things just don't fit.

We're a team. Nothing's ever going to change that.

OOO

A/N: Ambiguous speaker.


	32. Tired of Failing

It's a stupid thing to say...but I'm tired.

So. Damn. Tired.

Tired of war. Tired of sleepless nights. Tired of not knowing what tomorrow will bring. Tired of being a fourteen year old girl's PET.

Damn undignified.

And I don't know if it's me getting slower, or the world getting faster, but I feel like I've missed out on a lot of things.

Like I said. Stupid.

But that doesn't change the truth.

I'm tired of losing.

Sooner or later...

Sooner or later, I will win. This war will end.

And I'll be a free man once more.


	33. Eew

"AHHHH!!"

"Holy SHIT!"

Piper slammed the door behind her, chest rising and falling rapidly, her legs shaking. She closed her eyes, tongue hanging out in disgust. Her scream had sent Finn and Aerrow running down the hallway, weapons drawn, ready to fight.

"What is it? What is it? Tell us, NOW!" Aerrow barked.

"Dude, what in the WORLD just happened?" Finn asked, lowering his crossbow.

Piper paused, as if in shock, before answering.

"Stork looks REALLY gross in a bathrobe."

OOO

A/N: Thanks a million to Ambrel, who finally broke my writer's block. My evil imagination came up with THIS baby. Isn't she cute?


	34. Witty Conversation

He leaned against the bars with casual grace, as if he wasn't fazed in the slightest by the fact that he was in prison.

Dark Ace snarled at him as he walked by.

"Hey, long time no see," the kid said, smiling.

"What?" Dark Ace paused.

"You know, it's been a while. You, uh, you married? Do I hear the pitter-patter of little evil feet?" He grinned a snarky grin.

"You...you..." Dark Ace stuttered, as if looking for the right word to describe the kid.

A few tense moments passed.

Finally, he spun around on his heel and marched up the steps, trying to ignore the burst of laughter that echoed around the dungeons.

A victory cry.

OOO

A/N: With all the torture I've been throwing at Aerrow in "Stand Firm", I decided to let up a bit on him.

And Dark Ace, you totally deserved that...

Oh, the pitter patter thing is not mine. I don't think so, anyways. It's from a book of which the title I cannot remember...All I know is that I can't take credit for it. But it's hilarious all the same...


	35. Unaware

Piper stared at Finn as he and Aerrow walked into the bridge.

She seemed to be choking.

She looked at him for a while longer...

Before bursting into a mad fit of giggles.

The guys stared at her with blank eyes, unsure as to what was going on.

"It's like a whole new species," Finn muttered.

Aerrow glanced at his friend before starting to smile as well.

Finn rolled his eyes and marched away...

Still blissfully unaware of the fact that he had forgotten to put on his pants that morning...

OOO

A/N: Well...I think I've gotten over the "Storm Hawks in underwear" phase. For now.


	36. Same Old Same Old

He stared over the edge of his newspaper, startled by the sudden ringing of the bell that hung above the front door.

A familiar face peeked in. Red hair ruffled in the breeze. The kid closed the door behind him.

"You again," the shopkeeper muttered. "Same old same old?"

"Erm...yeah."

The Sky Knight looked a little embarrassed. The man let out a sigh and got up, setting his paper down and making his way to the back of the store.

He popped back out with the exact same item the kid always came here for.

"That'll be three fifty."

The boy handed over the money, then took his new pair of energy blades and departed.

The man raised an eyebrow, took out his store ledger, and ran an ink stained finger down the list of tallies.

"Energy blades number...three forty two."

OOO

A/N: Seriously, where does Aerrow get his energy blades? He's always losing them in dog fights and what not...

When I have a question I don't know the answer to...I make one up.


	37. Stupidity

I think it must be...stupidity.

The reason why people look down on me.

I'm not offended.

I expected it.

Hey, at least I have friends, and a home, and at least I do something I'm proud of.

What do you have to show of your life?

Not much, I expect.

I swore to myself that I would be different.

I don't know if I've succeeded in YOUR point of view...

But that doesn't matter.

I think I'm doing just fine.

So, yeah, it's stupidity. But not MINE.

The people who think it's fun, to look down and pick out a fellow creature's faults?

They're the stupid ones.

OOO

A/N: First time writing Junko. What do ya think?


	38. He Likes Oldies

She walked down the hallway, heading towards her chambers, when...

"When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie..."

"Huh?"

She glanced at the door the sound was coming from.

Dark Ace's room.

"That's amoré..."

The buzz of a running shower mingled with his horribly scratchy singing voice. She laughed for the first time in what seemed like centuries, then continued down the hallway, humming the melody.

She didn't know Dark Ace liked oldies.

OOO

A/N: Thanks to Creep In The Shadows, your "Storm Hawks Singalong" was inspiration enough for this...

Whee, I got tears in my eyes... Dark Ace has a lovely singing voice, I'm sure.


	39. One Reason

Life isn't supposed to be fair, I know that.

And not everything has a reason.

We never questioned why a child is born silent. We never questioned why a friend didn't come home from battle. We never questioned why one terra is stricken by storm...and the others remain untouched.

But this...surpasses all reason. All sensibility.

For us to lose was bad enough...

But for all of them to die?

Every last one?

Leaving only me?

I ask the heavens for an explanation. What good would taking them all do?

One reason, is all I ask.

I fall to my knees and beg.

_I don't need you to bring them back...just take me with them. I don't ask for you to give me proof...just give me a reason.  
_

OOO

A/N: Something tragic happened at my mom's office today. One of her friends, only forty years of age, had a seizure and fell into a coma. The worst part is, she was eight months pregnant. They managed to do a cesarean and get the baby out, but the little girl will most likely grow up without a mother.

I don't usually pray, but tonight, I do. I pray that that baby's mom will wake up and be able to watch her daughter grow up, like my mom was able to. Sometimes, things happen brutally, without obvious reason, and we wonder if the world is cruel for a purpose, or if things just happen randomly.


	40. Demons Die

I live with a million ghosts, a million regrets, and a million eyes that watch me when the lights flicker out at night.

Every evening, when the sun fades into darkness, and the stars are chocked by red skies, I go to bed and dream.

My demons haunt me from dusk to dawn, from twilight to morning.

Every soul I ever sent to heaven or hell wanders through my nightmares, creeps into my room, slips under the door, through the cracks and pounds in my ears.

_Remember me? Remember my eyes when I died? Still think you're everything?_

I slash out in my mind. I stab them with an imaginary sword.

But for every demon that dies, another one grows.

And every time I bleed...

It's just feeding them.

OOO

A/N: Check out the song "Demons Die" by Second Person. I got the inspiration for this from the lyrics.

Oh, and I highly doubt Dark Ace actually feels that way, but I can dream.


	41. Unexpected

"This is so stupid."

"I know..." Finn grinned wickedly.

She glared at him. "No, really. It's stupid."

"Just shuddup and look through the binoculars already."

Piper rolled her eyes and did what he told her to. Scanned the area. "I got nothing," she mumbled.

"We can do this, I know we can."

"Stop being silly, it'll never happen." Aerrow rolled his eyes. "He's very sly, you know."

"Yes, it will."

"You know I don't like you, right?" Starling shot Finn a glare.

"I know."

"They're too good, we can't see them with a pair of stupid binoculars!"

"Erm, excuse me," the Merb grumbled. "Are you calling my peepers...stupid?"

Starling shrugged. "Maybe. Besides, it was all Finn's idea in the first place. I've been sitting up here so long, by backside hurts."

"It'll happen...sooner or later."

"THERE!" Stork lunged forward. "I see them! Gimme those binoculars...Ewww...Love sickness."

Aerrow and Piper giggled at the two small forms, nuzzling each other in the distance.

No one could believe it.

It was outrageously hilarious.

Radarr had a _girlfriend._


	42. Deceiving Appearances

She leaned against the dirty exterior wall of the Condor and took another puff. Let the fumes flow into her body and intoxicate her. _No, _she concluded. _There's nothing better than this._

She knew it was bad for her, but Piper being Piper, she just had to try it. And she found out it was rather fun, too. Addicting, even. She couldn't believe she just found out about this...NOW.

Aerrow rounded the corning, talking to himself. He saw her, orange and white tube in her mouth, white smoke puffing outwards.

"OI!" He ran over. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Chill! Aerrow, what is it?" She took the cylinder out of her mouth and grinned. "We under attack?"

"You're...you're..."

"What? You want one?" She reached into her pocket.

"No, I do NOT want one!"

"So why are you so...high strung?"

"What do you think you're DOING? This is so stupid! You're the last person I'd expect to see-"

"What's all the commotion?" Finn opened the door and walked down onto the ground. "Wassup?"

"She's...she's..." Aerrow threw his arms up in exasperation. "Just look!"

"Whoa...And you didn't invite me?"

Piper shrugged. "Hey, I just got them. This is my first one. Pretty good, too."

"Oh, sweet. Can I have one?"

"What in Atmos are you two doing? Next you'll start recruiting Radarr!"

Piper and Finn both took a puff, then glanced at each other. "Nah," they said in unison. "He couldn't take it."

"Smoking is stupid! It ruin-"

Piper and Finn burst into laughter, shrieking and rolling around on the floor, clutching their sides. Finally, when they'd calmed down and Aerrow had settled his nerves, they stood and had one last chuckle.

"You thought we were...?"

"Smoking?"

Piper held the packet out. "Aerrow, this is GUM. They wrap it in orange and white paper to look like cigarettes, see?" She peeled the paper off of her tube. Pink, white powdered stuff was inside.

"But...there was...smoke..."

"Sugar, man. Just powdered sugar." Finn grinned. "You still gonna turn down the offer?"

Aerrow smiled. "We should totally do it in front of Stork and see what happens."

_A little while later..._

Piper, Finn, and Aerrow leaned against the Condor with casual grace, puffing away at their "cigarettes". Stork wandered by, arms laden with tools, mumbling about how the others never helped. Saw his friends, "smoking".

"IT'S MINDWORMS! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"


	43. Mistaken

He was torn from the bliss of sleep by a frantic shaking.

"Dude..."

"Go. Away."

"Dude..."

"Damn you, Finn, go away!"

"Dude..."

"OH MY GOD!" He sat up and glared at the sharpshooter with bloodshot eyes. "What is your problem? It's..." He glanced at the clock. "It's five in the morning! I just stayed up all night planning an invasion with Piper, with_out _coffee or sugar or stimulants of any sort, and now...THIS! I mean, sometimes, you people forget I'm human!"

"Er, Aerrow?"

"WHAT?!"

"Just wanted to let you know..."

"Yeeeeeees?"

"You're in my room."


	44. The Great White One

"Everybody, calm down!"

The team was screaming, frantic, speeding through the Condor as fast as possible, trying to get away from...The Menace. Only Piper was sane.

"AAAAAARGH!"

"HOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Somebody help me," the navigator muttered, slapping her forehead. "Aerrow goes out on a mission for _one _week...and we're already in hysterics."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!"

Finally...the mouths closed. They all looked at Piper rather bashfully as she continued.

"You all need to buck up! You bunch of wimps! It...it..."

"We're sorry," everyone mumbled.

She sighed, then held up a plunger. "Now...I'll go unclog that toilet."


	45. Carnage

Stork's eye twitched in horror as he observed the carnage before him. Bits and pieces lay here and there, broken, snapped, insides spread everywhere.

Horrible, disgusting, unrepairable.

He'd never make the same mistake again...

But it was impossible to replace what he'd lost.

_Impossible._

Everything he loved, everything he held dear...

Ruined...

And it was all that _man_'s doing. He'd get back at him. He'd wring his throat until it hung limper than a rubber band in an oven. He'd make him PAY.

Oh, he'd _pay._

Someone came up from behind him.

"Stork?"

"GAH!"

Piper, Aerrow, and Junko peeked around the Merb's slender shoulders. "Whoa," Piper exclaimed. "What happened to your room?"

Gadget parts and gears, once placed in perfect order, were strewn recklessly around the room. The curtains were torn and the sheets on Stork's bed were rumpled and wrinkled in a corner.

Stork sighed and turned to glare at Piper. "We will _never..._let Finn drink coffee again. _Ever._"


	46. Pizza Woes and a Midlife Crisis

Cyclonis was starving. She'd been working all morning, and her stomach was growling louder than track-beasts on a trail. She wandered through the hallways, towards the kitchens, perhaps to find something edible and beat on the chefs while she was down there.

She walked past her commanders' quarters. Her eyes wandered across the name plates: Snipe, Ravess, Dark Ace.

She passed Dark Ace's door, then froze.

Her nose quivered.

Some delicious and creamy odor was coming from his quarters. Her senses tingled. Her mouth watered at the thought of whatever was in there.

Where in the world had Dark Ace...?

She didn't care. She knocked on the door. No one answered. He wasn't in, apparently. She slid inside and looked around the threadbare room. He really didn't have much in the way of decorations.

There, lying on the table was...a pizza. A beautiful and cheesy pizza, dripping in tomato sauce, topped with mozzeralla and fresh basil. She had no idea he could...cook.

She sat down, cut herself a slice, and bit into it.

Heaven!!

Her tastebuds were having a total fiesta. She leaned back and chewed blissfully. She'd have to excercise pretty hard to work this off, but it was sooooo worth it.

The door slid open all of a sudden...and in came Dark Ace.

Uh-oh.

--

Ravess and Snipe looked up from training to see a furious Dark Ace in a pink apron speeding after Cyclonis, who was waving a half eaten pizza slice above her head in absolute triumph. Brother and sister glanced at each other, then at the scene before them. Shook their heads, then resumed working.

They could NOT understand those two, not for the world.


	47. Knitting

It was a cold winter day in the Cyclonian stronghold.

__

Click, click, click.

Ravess was eating a vegetarian sandwich outside of her room when, from next door, came the strangest of sounds.

__

Click, click, click.

"What the...?"

It was coming from Dark Ace's room. She thought about knocking, but her curiosity would not wait, so she just barged in.

He wasn't anywhere to be seen.

__

Click, click, click.

It was coming from the bedroom. She walked down the tiny hallway and knocked on the half closed door. "Dark Ace? You alright?"

She peeks in.

__

Click, click cli-

"Oh, hello Ravess."

"Dark Ace, are you...are you knitting?!"

"Mittens."

"What...?"

"My hands were cold."

She backed out of the room, closed the door, and jumped into the hallway.

Men and their mid life crises.

OOO

A/N: I borrowed a page from soldier4christ's book and added the sound effects.

I think Dark Ace really _is _going through a midlife crisis. It's about time, too. I wonder where he learned to knit. I bet Cyclonis taught him and they exchange knitted goods!


	48. Unsure

"Please?"

She looked at him with those big golden eyes of hers. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'll think about it," he replies. "I mean, what you're asking of me is...pretty tough."

"You're a Sky Knight!"

"Well, yeah, but they didn't teach stuff like this at the academy."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, pshaw. Anyone can do this. It's simple! Just-"

"Yeah, I know how to do it, I'm just not sure if I can do it...well!"

"You're good at everything you do. Now, go."

She pushed him into the bathroom. He sighed. "You sure you can't get one of the others to do it?"

"Your mess, your job."

He sighed, then stuck the plunger down the toilet.

Who knew flushing an entire roll of toilet paper down the thing would cause it to overflow?


	49. A Hunch

"I smell something weird."

Dark Ace looked up from his skimmer to see Master Cyclonis, walking around the hanger bay, nose poked high in the air. She didn't usually come down to this part of the palace; actually, in all his years of Talon service, the Dark Ace had never seen her here. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Maybe it's the crystal fuel, Master," he said, standing and bowing as he spoke.

"Shut up. I know what crystal fuel smells like." She sniffed again. "No, this smells...good, almost."

"Food from the kitchens? They _are_ right below us." He was starting to get a tad annoyed.

"Food from the kitchens smell like crap." She walked up to Ravess' skimmer and gave it a whiff. She looked like some sort of deranged blood hound.

"Well, maybe if you described the scent-" He was cut off when Cyclonis walked up to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, her nose pressed to his chest.

_Sniff, sniff._

"Er...Master Cyclonis? What are you-"

"Do you wear cologne?" she said all of a sudden.

"Um...Sometimes..."

"You smell good."

"Thank...you?"

"Hm." She walked out the door. "Dismissed."

He returned to fixing his skimmer, mind whirling in confusion. Maybe working for a fourteen year old wasn't such a good idea, after all.

--

She stepped out of the hanger bay, then pulled a Shielding Crystal from her pocket. Almost immediately, her body began to ripple and shudder. The dark hair turned magenta, and she grew taller. Violet eyes faded to golden. Soon, "Cyclonis" was a completely different person altogether.

Ravess laughed quietly to herself as she wandered down the hall. "I always did have a hunch," she muttered to herself.

OOO

A/N: Crappy, I know, but hey, rather amusing. I think Ravess has a crush on our Talon commander... OOH, what if Dark Ace asks the real Cyclonis about it later?


	50. He Loves Her Maybe

"YOU'RE SO ANNOYING!"

"Sorry, sorry, won't happen again--YEOW!"

"That's what you said LAST TIME!"

"OW, OW, OW!"

Finn and Junko watched as Piper raced after Aerrow, crystal staff raised high in the air, ready to strike. Stork walked over and shook his head. Finn grinned.

"Those two will never go out. Not if they keep doing this to each other."

"I don't get it," Junko moaned.

Finn explained. "He likes her so he gets her mad, and she likes him so she does get mad, so they end up chasing each other around and never get to kissing."

"I have a head ache." Junko lumbered away.

Stork snorted. "What did Aerrow do THIS time?"

"He forgot to put the toilet seat down."

Stork turned to face Finn. "Weren't YOU the last one to use the restroom?"

Finn put a finger to his lips. "I won't tell if you won't."

"Deal." Merb and boy turned around and left Aerrow to his beating.


	51. Field of Knives

An aching at the back of my throat,

a stinging inside my head.

Aching at the back of the throat,

stinging in the head.

Ache, sting, pain.

Mistakes that swirl like murky water and building storms in front of me.

A field of knives.

Step carefully.

Will you cry for me when I die?

Will you weep?

Will you forget me?

I'm not worth your time.

Sayonara, pretty girl.

Field of knives and a lot of skin to cut.

Say goodbye, pretty girl.

Smile

for the camera.

Field of knives.

Step carefully.

No more tulips to tiptoe through.

Step carefully and

forget me.

OOO

A/N: Hm...I think it's a poem. About what? Don't look at me.


	52. Pretty Girls, Pretty Crystals

_Laugh at me._

So I tell the crystal in my hands.

_Laugh. Smile. INSPIRE._

As if it will talk to me. No. Perhaps I am going insane, as the others say.

I cling to this.

_Flash. Dance. Catch the light. Tell me your secrets, pretty girl. Sing to me._

Color of her eyes.

_"I'll be waiting."_

As if I didn't hear her. I knew her not. She knew me well.

_"Where were we...girlfriend?"_

Was she my friend?

Good friends don't kill each other.

_Good fences make good neighbors. So smile at me, you pretty little crystal. Smile the way she did. All sweet and pretty. _

I toss the stone to the ground. Crush it with my heel.

_Smile for me, you pretty little stone. Smile and I'll kill you. Break you. A million pieces._

_Pretty girls, pretty stones._

_SMILE._

OOO

A/N: First try at a yuri pairing. Yeesh, that sucked. Dangnabit, remind me never to do that again.


	53. Catch You A Star

You and I stand side by side.

We stare at the star sprinkled sky and force smiles.

So we will die soon.

We will all die.

We will all depart this beautiful and savage world. Hold my hand.

I love you.

Do you love me?

I think you are beautiful.

Laugh for me, please.

It's such a pretty sound, like stardust and moonbeams.

I will catch you a star and put it on your heart.

I am yours.

Are you mine?

I will catch you a star and place it in your eyes.

Stand here and watch the sky spin by. Let the war go away. We: that means only you and I.

Will we be here forever?

I will catch you a star and press it to your lips.

OOO

A/N: Choose any pairing you like! The Crystal Moon girl pleases all! :P


	54. Scared

She glared at him from behind the bars.

"It's all over tomorrow, huh?" he mumbled, glaring back. "All over."

She was silent. He never would shut up. Didn't he realize that prisoners about to be executed weren't exactly in cheery moods? She felt like punching him through the bars; unfortunately, he was too far away for her to reach. Plus, she hardly thought her skimpy little arms would do much. No, crystals were more her style.

He smiled at her, green eyes twinkling. She hated that dreaded smile.

"Stop that," she growled. Her first words in a week. He seemed surprised, his smile disappearing almost immediately. She relished the tiny amount of control she had over him.

That was what her life was about, wasn't it? Control.

Later that evening, he stepped back into the prison and leaned against her cell bars. And he asked her a question. "Are you scared?"

And she had no answer ready.

She could not sleep that night. She was pondering his query. Was she scared? Perhaps the correct answer was yes, but she felt no fear. After all, Dark Ace had gone to his own end only a few days before. And yet...

She didn't know what fear was in the first place. Was it that gnawing in her gut? The speed her heart was racing at? The pounding in her brain? So in the morning, she still had no answer. And when he led her out of her cell and slid the cloth over her violet eyes, she still had no response. Only when she stepped out into the morning and heard the whispers and hisses of the crowd did she feel something real, something petrifying inside her.

They were speaking about her. _Murderer. Tyrant. Evil. _Was she all those things?

So when they led her up the stairs and towards the chopping block...she had her answer ready.

"Yes," was all she mustered, until they laid her head onto the wood. She thought she heard a small "NO!" from the crowd. Perhaps it was her imagination.

_Are you scared?_

_Yes._

OOO

A/N: I guess they have Wi-Fi in the Rockies after all...


	55. Contest

He glared. And glared. And glared.

"Aerrow, you can't do this forever," she quipped.

"Can, too," he growled.

"Nuh-uh."

"Uh-huh."

The minutes inched by, yet neither of them batted an eyelash.

Finn sped down the stairs. "You two still at this?"

"Yep," Aerrow said.

"Yes," she hissed.

"Man, what did you _bet_?"

"Her freedom," Aerrow growled. Finn leaned against the wall and howled with laughter.

"You bet her freedom on a staring contest? Man, that's wild, even for you."

"Shut up," Cyclonis growled, leaning against the bars of her cell and staring into Aerrow's eyes.

"You will lose." He smiled evilly.

"Says you, Sky Knight!"

Finn shook his head and tramped up the stairs. If he didn't know better, he'd have sworn those two liked each other.

OOO

A/N: Maybe they do! No, they don't. This just popped into my head. For the record, I do NOT endorse the MC/A pairing. It's just weird.

Poll on my profile! If you love me, go read my page and then vote! Pretty please with whipped cream, a cherry, and all them other fixin's on top!


	56. Surprise Parties

He was extremely tired and rather pissed, due to the fact that several Talons had been shooting him strange glances in the hallway. Now, he just wanted his bed and a good war tactics manuel to send him off to dream-land.

But no, as soon as he was in his room, he saw a Message Crystal, sitting on his desk. _Probably from Cyclonis,_ he reasoned, before picking it up and activating it.

"Dark Ace, come to the throne room _immediately_," the voice said. He sighed, finding it strange that she was summoning him by crystal. Come to think of it, a lot of things were strange around here, today. There weren't that many Talons around, for one. Where had they all run off to? But he couldn't rightly disobey a direct order, so he grabbed his sword and trudged down to the throne room, stepping through the doors.

"Master, wh-WHOAAA!"

His foot had landed right in a little circle of rope, which had tightened around his ankle and swept him off the ground. Now, he was hanging upside down, by his left leg, shouting bloody murder.

About three or four Talons, Ravess, Snipe, and of course, the Master herself, stepped out of the shadows, gloating. Ravess walked right up to him and laughed.

"You didn't tell us it was your birthday, Dark Ace," she said, teasingly. "Good thing Master Cyclonis let it slip."

"We didn't know you hated surprise parties," Snipe added. Cyclonis just stood in the background and grinned, like the cat that ate the proverbial canary.

"I HATE YOU ALL!" he bellowed, but was silenced when someone, (presumably a Talon behind him,) stuffed a piece of cake in his mouth.


	57. The Smartest of Them All!

"I can't figure it out!" Stork slammed the contraption onto the table. "It's so confusing!"

"Stork, calm down. I'm sure there's a manual that came with it, right?" Aerrow said, trying to comfort the pilot.

"No! I made this scanner myself! I didn't _need _a manual!"

"Geez, can't figure out your own invention? That's kinda sad," Finn mumbled. Piper glared at him with a look that said, _Not helping!_

Aerrow picked up the contraption and flipped it around. "Maybe if you try making a _new _antennae..."

"That's the problem! I can't! It requires a very high grade of metal that they don't make anymore! And this one just fell off..." Stork wailed. "I can't take it anymore!"

Finn strode over and snatched the thing from Aerrow's hands. "What if..." he said, picking up the broken antennae from the table, "...you just stick the thing back in the hole?" He popped the antennae into the small hole neatly.

"Wait, wait, wait. How'd you do that?" Stork said, eyes getting wide.

"I just...jimmied the metal around a bit, then put the thing back in," Finn said, looking confused.

"You just fixed it?" Piper exclaimed.

"Yeah...Wait. I fixed it?" Finn said, smiling. "I was smarter than all of you?"

Everyone nodded grudgingly.

"Sweet!" Finn yelled. "Uh-huh, who's good, I'm good, who's cool, you're cool...Wait." He paused. "_I'm _cool, uh-huh..."

Junko walked in and leaned back in confusion. "Ohm...what's Finn doing?"

Piper just shrugged and made little spiral motions next to her temple with her index finger. Junko shook his head and headed back for his room.

It was way too early in the morning for Finn's antics.


	58. From a Distance

He traced the line of her neck with his eyes, slipped his vision from her shoulders to her arms to the lightly dancing fingers.

Circled her waist with his imagination and pictured her leaning against him.

Her eyes sparkle, even in the dimmest of light. She turns, and the shadows slide onto her, a cloak, encircling her small and beautiful body.

He's hers, in every sense of the phrase. Hers to play with. He's wrapped around her little finger and he knows it.

If he weren't a man of dignity, he'd have fallen on his knees by now.

But he grits his teeth and satisfies the feeling within him with just looking, gazing from a distance. She's playing with a crystal in her spider-like hands, tossing it from palm to palm. A smile is playing on her lips. She can speak without moving her mouth, and can laugh without tilting her lips upwards. Her eyes remain cunning and calculating, cold and dark and dim. She is like the moon, so distant, yet so near. He can see her every day...

...but she is beyond reach.

He swallows and shifts his weight.

"...is that clear?" she says, finishing off the sentence with a little flourish.

"Yes, Master." He clasps his hand over his heart and bows. The heart that she ripped out and branded as her own. He turns and fades into the darkness, footsteps echoing away, growing softer and softer, but not without a quick glance back, one more look at the woman who truly is his Master.

OOO

A/N: Dun, dun, dun... A small let-up on the humor. BTW, who wants me to torture Dark Ace some more in the manner of surprises? :)


	59. Mine!

Stork glared.

Radarr glared.

Stork seethed.

Radarr seethed.

"Mine," Stork growled.

"REEP!" Radarr screeched.

"No, it's MINE!"

"REEEEEP!!"

Aerrow strolled into the kitchen. "Um...Why are you two fighting over a-"

"No time to talk!" Stork pulled in his direction.

"Rawr, reep chirp!" Radarr pulled back.

Piper walked in as well, and she did not look amused. "GAH!" she barked, before slapping both of the creatures with a spatula. "If you two are going to fight over my sandcakes like this, I'm never making them again!"

OOO

A/N: I need more voters on my poll! Please? (whimpers)


	60. Lovestruck

Finn was in _love_.

He couldn't stop gawking. He kept her with him all day. He wouldn't stop talking about her at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and every moment in between. The team was getting pretty sick.

"And she's got the greatest figure! Aw, man, do NOT get me started on her figure..."

"I wouldn't dare," Stork growled. "Will he ever shut up about her?"

"I highly doubt it," Piper seethed.

"It's probably just a passing phase," Aerrow said, trying to remain optimistic. But even he knew it was helpless.

"And she's just the most-"

"Finn?"

"Yeah, Junko?"

"Why is there a spot on-"

"NUUUUU!" Finn barked, noticing the blemish. He hugged his darling close. "Don't worry, sweetie pie, I'll clean that off right now." And he cradled his new guitar to his chest as he ran out of the bridge, shouting something about a rag and some sheen.


	61. Thunder

The rain was pouring, pounding against his body and seeping to his skin, rolling in big fat drops down his neck and into his collar. Her hands were placed at the back of his neck, the only patch of body that remained free of rain. Her eyelashes were carrying droplets from the sky, and every time she blinked, she made her own little shower.

She was saying something. Wasn't like he noticed.

The fact that she was moving...

She was perfect.

He cast his eyes up and down her body, noticing how the water made her clothes cling to her skin, making her beautiful figure more prominent than ever. He wrapped his own dripping wet arms around her waist and pulled her close.

And in the distance, the thunder rolled.

OOO

A/N: Inspired by Boys Like Girls-Thunder. Any pairing works, as long as it's a boy-girl thing.

And I have some writer's block concerning The Gray Between. Just hang with me. I'm writing a veeery delicate scene right now. I'll give you a hint: It involves a word that begins with K and ends with ISSING.

And I still need more voters! I'll close the poll on Friday, so if you haven't voted yet, please do!


	62. Coincidence

He was all alone. Nothing but the wind at his back, the sun on his head, and the empty sky all around him. Dark Ace smiled. He had even broken off his radio transmitter to ensure silence.

The wind was steady and calm, pushing his skimmer along effortlessly. He had needed to get out of the palace for multiple reasons. One, Snipe was back in the palace and was pissing him off, two, Ravess was playing her damn violin, and three...Cyclonis had recently concocted a new crystal and needed a test subject.

Naturally, Dark Ace did _not _want to be that test subject.

He found a small and quiet terra to land on and nestled himself against a large boulder that offered shade to both him and his ride. Relishing the quiet, he was soon asleep.

--

Aerrow took off from the Condor with relief. Finn had somehow managed to retrieve his guitar from Piper's clutches and was playing a "new song" in his room. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Plus Junko had recently gotten "the runs" and was stinking the whole place up, not to mention it was time for Stork's bi-weekly disinfecting run. Piper was locking herself in her room with earmuffs and a good book, and Radarr was nowhere to be found.

So Aerrow had found solace in the sky, as he always had.

The big blue was calm and quiet. He breathed in the fresh air and looked around.

He needed relief, and found it in the form of a small and tranquil terra with nothing on it but a big boulder. Landing, he noticed that someone was already there...

--

Dark Ace was shaken from his sleep by the roar of a skimmer engine. Looking over the boulder, he saw...

"Aerrow? What the hell are you doing here?" he growled.

"I was about to ask you the same question," the Sky Knight answered, looking just as surprised. They both reached for their weapons, but Aerrow paused. "Wait a second. We're on vacation. We don't really need to fight _every _time we see each other, do we?"

"Uh..." Dark Ace thought on it. Truth was, he was tired and his nerves were more grated than Parmesan cheese. He sighed and took his hand away from his sword. "Fine. Seriously, what _are _you doing here?"

"My team's being annoying. And you? What, is Cyclonis looking for a guinea pig or something?"

"Actually, yes."

Aerrow and Dark Ace both shook their heads sadly.

"Teenagers," the chorused.

OOO

A/N: Yes, it's weird. Yes, it's long. But I like it!


	63. The Curse of the Flying Pea

**Rated T for talk about female anatomy. You have been warned.**

It was dinnertime on the Condor. Piper had made peas, and Finn and Junko were using them as ammunition in their catapult war. Using plastic spoons, the two were now slinging little green orbs at each other from opposite sides of the table.

"Ha ha!" Finn barked. "Head shot!"

Piper moaned and slapped her forehead. She had changed into a t-shirt and shorts for a deck jog, and had not changed back to her usual uniform for dinner. "Guys, can you _please_-AH!"

A pea had drifted slightly off course and ended up-

"Oh, dear," Aerrow murmured, turning pink.

Finn snickered. "Piper, did that pea just go into your...cleavage?"

She blushed a fiery shade of crimson. "Well, it's not like it's _my _fault!" she barked, heading for the bathroom.

Junko seemed confused. "What's a...a...cleavage?"

It was Finn's turn to become red, but not due to embarrassment. More like...anticipation. Aerrow and Stork both covered their ears, and Radarr left the room altogether.

"A cleavage is the space between a lady's..." Finn paused, searching for the correct wording. "Boobas."

Stork dunked his head onto his plate of food, and Aerrow began snickering into his shirt.

Junko still seemed confused. "Ohm...What's a 'booba?'"


	64. Deleted Scenes

**Taking a page from Flame Soldier-**

**Episode 6, Best Friends Forever, Deleted Scenes**

**1.**

They landed on the Condor, Stork rushing out to greet them. The two girls were laughing so hard, the ride was shaking.

"Piper? And who is _that_?" the Merb shouted, keeping his distance.

"Stork..._ha ha_...this is..._ha_...Lark! _Snort, snort._" Piper had to grab onto Lark's arm to keep from falling over, but Lark was giggling, too, and they both ended up collapsing in one big heap.

"OH MY GOD! IT'S THE LAUGHING FEVER! I'LL GO GET THE REPELLENT!"

"_Bzzt!_"

The radio buzzed. Stork shook his head. "Scratch that. First, the radio, THEN the repellent!"

Lark and Piper didn't even notice.

**2. **

"...and then I was like, 'Oh my GOD,' and then he was like, 'Oh my GOD,' and then I was like, 'Oh my GOD!'...And then it all sort of went downhill from there."

"I know what you mean!...There was this time when I was like, 'Oh no you di'in't, and then he was like, 'Oh yes I did!' and then I was like, 'Oh no you di'int,' and then..."

Piper and Lark continued down the hallway...giggling.

Aerrow and Finn exchanged worried glances.

"Are they..._all _like this?" the Sky Knight asked.

"You have _no _idea."

**3.**

Cyclonis disappeared in a poof of crystal dust. Zapping through the portal, she shook her head and looked around.

She was standing on _sand_. And there was a sky blue ocean behind her. And people in bathing suits were _staring_. In short...she was on Tropica.

"Um...wrong location. Continue with your...daily...peasant...things." She picked up the Oblivion Stone and sent herself reeling back for Cyclonia.

This just wasn't her day.

OOO

A/N: Sadly, I have no cool moral like Flame Soldier did. But it was fun, anyways. Oh, and today's the last day for my poll, so please go vote!


	65. Fruits of My Labor

She slouched in her seat, rubbing her eyes tiredly. It was one in the morning, according to the clock on the wall next to her. She was exhausted; five straight hours of work can do that to a girl.

But she...had...done it.

It was perfect in every way.

It sat on her workstation and glittered like the perfect jewel that it was.

A thin smile wound its way across her lips, and for a person who didn't smile all that much, it looked pretty darn good.

She stood and picked her treasure up, sliding it between her hands. After hours of struggle and confusion...she had created her masterpiece.

The door slid open, and in came Dark Ace. She wondered if he _ever _slept. She yawned, politely covering her mouth with her free hand. "Eveni-...Morning."

"Master, one of the Talons told me you were still awake. What were you...Oh. Finally figured that thing out, eh?" It was his turn to grin in that shark-like manner of his. She held her creation up and let it wink in the dim light.

"Took me long enough," she mumbled.

"Well, you can't really be expected to be good at _everything_," he said.

"Neither can you," she fired back.

"Still...five hours..."

"Worth it, though. You are dismissed, Dark Ace."

"Of course, Master."

He bowed, then departed, leaving her to clean up the workstation. She grinned one last time at the perfect little item on her desk.

Perhaps buying that beading kit hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

OOO

A/N: Cyclonis beading amuses me.


	66. Tongues

"PPPPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR..."

Piper rolled her eyes and tried to focus on her work.

"TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLKKKKKKKKK TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."

She closed the door and sat back down, stuffing her ears with cotton balls.

"IIIIIIIII SPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."

"FINN! Have you been watching 'Finding Nemo' again?" she barked.

"MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"SHUT UP!"


	67. The Deadly Secret of the Condor

Piper was doing laundry. Again.

Of course, Finn was _supposed _to be doing it, but he was too busy "practicing his mad musical skills," as he put it, outside. Where Stork could _almost _bear it.

She was sorting the whites from the darks when something strange crossed her point of vision. Something fluffy, white, and with pink bunnies sewn on it. She picked it up and saw another one beneath it.

"Huh?" she gasped. "Slipper socks?" Shrugging it off, she washed them and placed them in the Condor's lost and found.

Later that night, when all was quiet, a loud banging noise came from the lost and found closet. Piper woke up and popped her head out the door, to see someone holding the slipper socks and stealthily creeping back to his room. She turned on the lights and gasped in horror.

The intruder turned around and gasped, as well. "Piper, it's not what it looks like!"

"Aerrow! You wear...slipper socks?"

OOO

A/N: Idea courtesy of my pal Alex. My bad, my INSANE friend Alex.


	68. The Wonders of Windex

He was at it again.

They never should have let him into the cleaning closet unsupervised.

Ever.

Not that it would have actually _helped_, but they could dream.

Finn held the plate at arm's length away from him. "Aw, man, he did it again!" he howled.

Piper banged her head against the wall. "Who let him near that stuff in the first place?"

"I hate eating off of these, now," Junko moaned. "He really has to stop washing the dishes with it."

"We should talk to him," was Aerrow's suggestion. Everyone agreed vehemently and raced to Stork's room. Pausing right outside his door, everyone heard a strange hissing sound...or was it _purring_?

_"Windex...my precious. Windex...forever. THEY'LL NEVER TOUCH YOU. I, Stork...will love you, Windex...forever. Precious. Spritz, spritz."_

"Should we...?"

"Leave?"

"Yep."

_"Windex...forever. And ever...MINE! Spritz, spritz..."_


	69. The Wrath of the Killer Soda

Piper, Aerrow, and most of the team were on their way home after a normal grocery run, when Finn noticed something about the ship.

"IT'S...IT'S...GREEN!"

Indeed. The Condor was painted an eye-shocking, blindness-causing, neon, lime GREEN. THAT GLOWED IN THE DARK.

"IT BURNS!" Junko moaned, over and over.

"Arrgh! I can't look!" howled Finn.

"But...I don't understand!" Piper wailed. "We left Stork...alone...with...Oh no." She turned towards Aerrow. "The soda," they chorused, before speeding into the Condor.

Stork was sitting on the kitchen floor, splattered with green paint, a paintbrush beside him, surrounded with empty soda bottles.

"BURP!"


	70. Cyclonis Never SHAMPOOES

____

Cyclonis' hair is falling out, falling out, falling out,

_Cyclonis' hair is falling out, falling out, falling out, all day long..._

A few rooms away, Cyclonis narrowed her eyes.

_Cyclonis' hair is falling out, falling out, falling out, __Cyclonis' hair is falling out, falling out, falling out, all day long..._

She scratched her hair subconsciously as a mysterious singer went on, oblivious to his or her audience.

_Cyclonis' hair is falling out, falling out, falling out, Cyclonis' hair is falling out, falling out, falling out, all day long._

Beet red with anger, she stormed out of her quarters, towards the invisible inbecile. Dark Ace appeared, hair wet, singing...

"Dark Ace, you twit!" Cyclonis roared. "You know I use Pantene's new shampoo! REMEMBER? YOU WENT TO SKY MART TO FETCH IT FOR ME! IT PREVENTS DANDRUFF! Dark Ace?!"

Dark Ace held up a little waterproof recorder and hit, "PLAY." The entire loudspeaker system started replaying Cyclonis' little rant. "You were saying?" he drawled.

"Oh crap."

_Cyclonis' hair is falling out, falling out, falling out,_

_Cyclonis' hair is falling out, falling out, falling out, all day long._

* * *

A/N: Written by my friend Alex. Who's getting an account!! Look for her!

And she's insane. Never forget the insane.

(Sing to the tune of "Wheels on the Bus.")


	71. The Royal Toot

All was quiet in the Cyclonian meeting room.

Everyone was waiting for the Master to speak.

Cyclonis was particularily quiet today. Immobile. Silent. All of a sudden, her face seemed to contort into an expression of extreme concentration. But no one noticed; they were all watching the clock. Waiting for lunch.

__

Pfffbbbbbt...pff...fft..pt.

The flatulent sound bounced from high to low.

"EWW!" Ravess squealed, jumping up onto her chair and waving at the air with her stack of papers. "SNIPE!"

"Wha? It wasn't me," he said, pinching his nose.

"Dark Ace!" Ravess howled. "Show some decorum!"

"Don't look at _me_, I haven't had beans in ages!" he growled, reaching for his report to block the odor.

A gulp and a sheepish giggle escaped the teenage Cyclonian commander. "Eh-he-he-he...Sorry about that..." she said, raising her hand tentatively.

Ravess sat back down with her back strangely rigid. "Well...at least your...gas has...good...pitch, Master."

Dark Ace fell over laughing.

OOO

A/N: I guess even royals have gas...

Maybe she ate burritoes last night for dinner. Or cauliflower, that always makes you toot.


	72. Vanilla Sparkle

Dark Ace was walking down the hallways of the palace, heading towards the training arena for his afternoon excises. Suddenly, his communicator beeped.

"Aargh," he groaned. "No...not now..." He trudged to Cyclonis' throne room.

The door slid open and Dark Ace walked in. "Yes Master?" he drawled, annoyed.

"Close the door behind you," she mumbled.

He did.

"What?" he asked. "What's the problem?"

"Erm...I need some items from SkyMart."

"Alright."

"No, you don't get it. I need some very..._personal _items." She coughed uncomfortably. "Deodorant, in particular."

He jumped back a few feet, then groaned again. "Why don't you get Ravess to do it?"

"She needs it too."

"Ew."

He turned to leave. "Wait!" she barked.

He flipped around and looked at her menacingly. "WHAT?!"

She smiled sheepishly. "Make sure to get the Vanilla Sparkle kind."


	73. False Alarms

"Hey, Piper?"

I stopped on my way to the bridge. Aerrow was walking towards me, a sort of pink haze over his face. Was he actually blushing? "What is it?" I asked.

"Um, c-can I talk to you in, um, private?" he stammered. I leaned back in shock. Was he actually going to...? My heart started beating faster than I believed possible.

"Sure," was all I could muster, my tongue drying.

"Thanks." He followed me into his room and sat me down on his bed, before situating himself beside me. "I've been meaning to tell you this...for a while...a l-long time actually..."

"Really?" I said, leaning forward, anticipation building.

"You see, I...I...I..." He looked so nervous. Does he, does he actually like me? Is he actually doing what I've been wanting him to do for so long?

"Oh, Aerrow, I understand!" I exclaimed, hugging him.

He pulled me off of him. "Really?" he said, his face lighting up.

"Yes!" I said, gleefully.

"Oh, so you _don't _mind that Finn and I blew up your lab?" he said, still smiling.

"No, of course...WHAT?!"

"What?"

"You blew up my LAB?"

"Well, what did you _think_ I was talking about?" he asked, confused. It was my turn to blush.

"Uh...nothing. Just...go clean it up."

"B-b-b-but we blew it up ages ag-"

"GET OUT!"

He scurried out the door. I slammed my head into the wall.


	74. An Unwanted Discovery

Cyclonis was feeling exceptionally bored one day. So, she ordered one of her Talons to bring her her new laptop, which had been a birthday present to herself.

Sitting down at her desk, she flipped the lid open and clicked on the internet button. In a flash, a Google page was before her. She smiled and typed in meaningless things, searching them for no reason. A few minutes later, however, she found herself typing in her own name, just for the heck of it.

A huge list of blue links came up, which was rather unexpected. The first one said, "FanFiction: Storm Hawks Community, Darklonis." Confused as to what Darklonis was, she stupidly clicked on it.

What happened next?

Well...

--

Dark Ace sat in his room reading attack tactic manuals when, all of a sudden, there came a screaming.

"HE DID WHAT? I SAID THAT? HIS HANDS WENT WHERE? MY TONGUE DID WHAT? WE DID **THAT?!**"

The sounds were coming from the Master's room. He jumped to his feet and barged through her doors. "Master Cyclonis? What are you...?"

She shuddered. "That...that's gross," she growled, standing and pointing at the laptop's screen with fear. He walked over and started reading. "No, don't!" she barked, but it was too late. He was already shouting:

"I DID WHAT? SHE SAID THAT? MY HANDS WENT WHERE? HER TONGUE DID WHAT? WE DID **THAT?!**"

Looking at each other with a mix of revulsion and sympathy, the two embarrassed Cyclonians blushed pink.

"I'd never do that," they blurted in unison, before Dark Ace scurried out of the room and Cyclonis slammed her laptop shut.

OOO

A/N: Eh-har-har-har...

Blame it all on the mindworms, I say!


	75. Worst Sleepover

"Remind me one more time why I agreed to this..." Cyclonis growled. She was dressed in a loose t-shirt and baggy shorts, as was Ravess. They were seated on the floor of the Talon sharpshooter's bedroom. Ravess was grinning like a weasel, while Cyclonis had her arms crossed very tightly across her chest and was glaring daggers.

"Because...you and I made a bet that if I beat the Storm Hawks, you'd oblige me with a sleepover," Ravess drawled. "Master."

"Oh, yes, that's right..." Cyclonis mumbled. "And what was it you had to do if you lost, again?"

"I had to run my underwear up the main flagpole."

"Aah...Pity. I would have liked to have seen that." Cyclonis brushed a lock of black hair aside. "So...what do we do? 'Girl-talk,' is the norm for sleepovers, isn't it?"

"Well...I'm not really sure."

"You like anyone?" Cyclonis asked all of a sudden.

"Err...What do you mean?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean, Ravess."

"You mean..._men_?"

"Yes, Ravess, I mean_ men_, unless there's something you're not telling me and you're-"

"Fine." Ravess cut her boss off before she could say something truly vulgar. "Yes, I do like someone, if that makes you happy."

"It does," Cyclonis said, smiling.

"My turn. Do _you _like someone?"

Cyclonis' smile disappeared. "Maybe," was her cryptic response.

"Oh, I have to admit when I have a romantic interest, but you don't."

"Well, I _am _your boss."

"This _is _my prize."

Cyclonis glared for a few moments, then sighed. "Oh, fine. I _do _have a little thing for someone, alright!?"

"No. WHO?"

"Oh, you didn't tell _me _who it was."

Soon, the two women were squabbling about the other telling them who their 'crush' was. It ended with them facing opposite walls and thinking that this was the worst sleepover _ever._..when...

"Oh, fine I'll tell you," they growled in unison. "Dark Ace," they both blurted at once.

"WHAT?!" Ravess barked.

"HE'S MINE!" was Cyclonis'...lovely rebuke.

The squabble became over one Talon commander...

--

Meanwhile, outside...the Dark Ace and Snipe clustered around Ravess' door, cackling like hyenas on caffeine.

"She...she...they...ha-ha..."

All of a sudden..."Oh, fine I'll tell you. Dark Ace." The name floated out from behind the door. Said commander froze. Snipe glared stupidly for a few moments, before bursting into a fit of unmanly giggles. The Dark Ace merely shook his head and headed back to his quarters; this was way to weird for him to comprehend at the moment.

OOO

A/N: HAHA! I could totally see that happening...Well, actually, not really, Cyclonis'd probably kill Ravess if she even tried to get her in pajamas.

Anyways, I've been sorta down with a bug, so that's why no updates for ages. I'll do my best to get the next chapter of PR up. And, if anyone's interested, I'm hatching an idea for a new Action/Adventure/Fluffy romance story. So, if anyone wants to be my plot guinea pig, (not bunny, guinea pig, there's a difference,) and get the idea tested out on them, PM or review.


	76. Remember Me

"Do you really think I care?!" she roared. Like a mad woman, like a mad woman, she was. A caged animal. All caged animals are mad.

"You should," was his whispered response. "You should because he...he was important, wasn't he?"

"None of them mattered," she breathed, labored and heavy, banging her head against the iron walls with frustration. "None of them _ever _mattered, none of them were really _important_, because I was the only one...the only one who could do it. He was _weak_."

"Weak because he died?" Aerrow murmured. "That's hardly fair, isn't it?"

"Fair? Nothing in this world is ever fair, Sky Knight."

"You blame him for his own demise? You act as if he executed himself."

"He let himself get caught, didn't he?" But a shudder ran down her back, a shudder that reached the corners of her fingers and the fringes of her knees, made her fall to the ground and hold herself, fetal position, rocking back and forth, deranged. The lioness is tearing at the observer no longer, no, she's pulled back inside herself and collapsed. "Didn't he? He died, didn't?" she hissed, cooing almost. Like comforting words to a child. Spoken to herself, no less.

_Who's weak now? _the Sky Knight wanted to taunt, but he couldn't. Could only bring himself down to her level with a kneel and look into her glazed over eyes. "We'll be there, soon."

Silence. Then...

"Will I die?" Almost inaudible.

"The Council will decide," he muttered. "They're always just."

"But will I die?" she repeats.

Pause.

"Yes."

She cups her face in her hands as the reality of it hits her. Death will do that to a person. But she doesn't cry. Just stands and glares at him, darker than ever. He turns to leave, but not before he hears her hiss one final phrase, something that will haunt him like a plague till his dying day.

"Remember me, Sky Knight. Remember me and tremble."


	77. Curse Thee

"She's lighter than a duck! She's a WITCH!"

Junko and Finn hopped around the Condor, rattling the windows and doors in their frames. Aerrow and Piper had locked themselves in their rooms, as well as Radarr. Stork, however, had to drive the ship, and was subjected to...

"KILLER RABBIT! WITH SHARP CLAWS! FT, FT, FT, FT, FT!"

"COCONUT HORSES!"

"Brave Sir Robin ran away, bravely ran away, away, When danger reared its ugly head, he bravely turned his tail and fled. Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about, and valiantly, he chickened out. Bravely taking to his feet, he beat a very brave retreat. A brave retreat by brave Sir Robin!"

The Merb turned around and slapped his forehead.

"Curse thee with Mindworms, Monty Python. Curse thee," he mumbled.

OOO

A/N: I just re-watched that last night...

Oh-ho-ho...

Best lines ever:

Sir Bedevere: What makes you think she's a witch?  
Peasant: Well, she turned me into a newt!  
Sir Bedevere: A newt?  
Peasant: (pause)...I got better.  
Everyone: Burn her anyway!

That's just awesome.


	78. Rose Petals

Rose petals were strewn across the floor of the room. He was sitting in the middle of it all, frowning at a bouquet of what used to be flowers.

He had picked almost every single rose down to the bitter stem. Several fingers were bleeding, small drops of red dangling to the tips of the nails. He let out a sharp breath, wasted to silence.

Then pulled his attention to one final flower, still intact. Grasping the outer petal, he thought, _I love her_. He plucked it off. Next. _I love her not._ And on, and on, until that rose, too, was gone. He was left with several drying sticks of green, complete with painful thorns and drying leaves. The wrapping paper crinkled. Beside it, a card and a picture.

Several lovely...no, UGLY...no, LOVELY!...scratches were upon it. And the photo...? He sighed again, exasperated.

Aerrow walked in, then frowned. "Again?"

He nodded solemnly, gazing at the roses.

"She needs to let up on the affection."

Nod.

"Well?"

Shrug.

Aerrow chuckled. "Although, you gotta admit. You guys'd make a cute couple."

Radarr growled. Meanwhile, the photograph of a plump chicken fluttered about on the floor, next to broken stems and plucked off petals of a dozen roses, sent fresh from Terra Gale.

OOO

A/N: Inspired by soldier4christ. By the way, I'm going to be tip-toeing across several other fandoms. Including Greek Mythology and Fairy Tales. So...check me out over there, if you want to. I'll be doing a retelling of Pygmalion and Galitea and maybe something else...Hmm...

OH! Another thing: I need more guinea pigs for this other story that will have...some...strange ideas and interesting plot lines. It's like...a story of...well. If you volunteer, you'll find out. Cackle.

One last thing: REVIEW. grrr.


	79. Take Your Kid To Work

This...was the worst day of the year.

The day the Dark Ace had been dreading for eeeexactly three-hundred-and-sixty-four days. The day that...that...made him want to tear his hair out and kick some Talons' behinds for no particular reason. (I mean, he does that anyways, but today especially.)

Yes.

Today was...

TAKE YOUR CHILD TO WORK DAY.

In the palace.

Where he _worked_.

Apparently, Master Cyclonis had allowed it. To "boost morale." So why was his morale so LOW?

"What's the point of children anyhow?" he mumbled to Ravess. "They're just little, annoying midgets that..._annoy_."

She smiled and brushed invisible dirt from the seat before situating herself in it. "Ah, Dark Ace. You just don't know how to apprec-AAAARGH!" A little three-year-old had jumped up to her with grimy hands.

"LOOK! IT'S GREEN PAINT!" she squealed.

"GET IT OFF ME!" The sharpshooter ran screaming to the bathroom.

Dark Ace chuckled lightly. There was a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned to see a small, wiry little kid with big, blue eyes glaring at him solemnly. He sighed. "What do you want?"

The boy was quiet.

"Hello? Kid?" The Dark Ace leaned forward. "What. Do. You. Want?"

"Can I play with your weapon?" the boy blurted. He pointed at the double-bladed sword strapped to Dark Ace's back.

"Eh-NO. No you may not. Where's your mother? Or father, or..." He stood. "HEY! SOMEONE'S LOST A KID HERE!" No one replied. He sat back down. The boy was pouting angrily.

"I want to see it," he said, enunciating quite well for a child.

"Well, you can't. It's a very expensive weapon and I don't want you breaking it. Of course, _you _could get hurt, too, but I don't really care about that..." He eyed the child suspiciously. "Why are you so interested, anyhow?"

"It's cool. I've heard loads about you." The boy beamed.

The Dark Ace allowed himself to bask in this for a moment, before furrowing his brow once more. "NO."

The child pouted once again. Then left. Silence. AHHH...The Dark Ace leaned back and relished the quiet. Just...pure...and...lovel-

"Can I have your autograph?" The boy was back, vigilant as ever.

"ARRRRRGH!"

OOO

A/N: Oh, Dark Ace. If only you could see the fangirls _here_. You'd die. (I should know. I _am _one. XD!) This popped into my head and wouldn't leave. By the way, who's up for another funny drabble series, sort of like "April Fools," and "Ask Me No Questions"? Not a sequel, just something similar. Let me know if you'd like to see it. I need a let up from depressing one-shots...


	80. Thirty Years Young

He sat down at the table and _groaned._

Really _GROANED._

Ravess sighed. "What is it this time, Dark Ace?"

He banged his head against the table. "I'm OLD."

"Tell me something I didn't know," she mumbled. "It's that time of year again, isn't it?"

He merely nodded.

"Well, you were never exactly young befo-"

"I'm THIRTY, Ravess. THIR. TY." He spits the words out, as if they were made of...of...of _poison_.

"Well, it's not _that _ba-"

"I KNOW!"

She groans at being cut off for the second time that day. "What?"

"Instead of saying I'm thirty years _old_, I'll just say I'm thirty years _young! _I'm a genius! I mean, it's how they said it in the old days, eh? Those geezers actually had a good thread going! HAHAHA!" He jumped up and down. "YES!"

Then sped away to share his good news with the world.

Ravess slapped her forehead. "I knew it," she grumbled. "He's already going senile..."

OOO

A/N: BLuSH, dears, has hit a rut. But I feel like it'll break free soon...

This is almost over, and then I'm starting a new drabble series. I'll just do what soldier4christ did with "Little of This, Little of That," and take it to chapter one hundred.


	81. Parachutes

"Just put it on."

"NO."

"Please?"

"NO!"

"Why not?" Aerrow whined.

"It looks stupid, and it chafes against my sensitive skin, and...and...things!" Finn barked. "Plus you have no idea how stupid you all look, with big potato sacks sticking outta ya! I wore it a couple times before, but NEVER. AGAIN."

"Finn, it's good for you! It'll save you and your crotch a lot of pain!" Piper reasoned. "Not to mention we won't have to re-paint the fronts of our rides quite so much..."

"I'M NOT WEARING A PARACHUTE!"

"Pleeeeeeeeaaaaase?"

"No. Why can't I have one of Aerrow's cool glider thingies?"

"Because, Finn," Stork hissed, "You don't know how to work those things. Remember the _last _time you tried out someone else's weapons? Junko was almost mashed to a pulp."

"Well...that doesn't count!"

"Just put the frickin' parachute on, and-"

"NO!"

"FINN!" Piper roared, pinning him down. "WEAR THE PARACHUTE, OR WE'RE NOT GOING TO TROPICA FOR A YEAR!"

Silence in the hanger bay. Finn grabbed the pack and strapped it on, growling.

"Fine," he grumbled. "But the next time my skimmer breaks, you get to fix it."

OOO

A/N: That coulda been a more inspired ending...

Anywho, thanks to BlitzXColeen for the idea. (Did I spell your name wrong? If so, lemme know...)


	82. An Urgent Request

Cyclonis needed to...

...go.

"I need to use the ladies' room," she announced, standing up from her meeting.

"That's good to know," the Dark Ace mumbled.

She hit him upside the head on her way out.

A minute ticked by. Snipe sighed. "So...wassup?"

Ravess raised a pink eyebrow.

Suddenly...there was a very loud scream. Or was it a shriek? Was Cyclonis being attacked?

There was a ferocious snarl from the direction of the...location of...the Master. "RAVESS!" she yelped.

"Awwwwwww....You got in troooouuuuuuubellllleeeeeeh!" Snipe said, with child-like immaturity. Ravess snarled at both men, who were now choking with laughter, before tip-toing out into the hallway and to the woman's restroom.

"Master? Is something the matter?"

"EVERYTHING'S THE MATTER, YOU IDIOT!"

"What is it you require?"

Silence.

"Master...?"

Silence.

"Master Cyclonis?"

Finally, a disgruntled growl made its way from behind the locked doors.

"I'm out of toilet paper."

OOO

A/N: Collab with coconutter...again...Yeah, she's cool like that.


	83. Skillz

He smiled sneakily to himself.

No way were they going to get him, now!

He kept his eyes peeled for security cameras and trip wires. Then he grinned again. "I'm...sneaky as a cat. Fast...as a viper. Balanced...as a stork. Silent...as death." He jumped over a motion sensor, then chuckled. "And they thought they could trap me in that dreaded room! With those dreaded people! The mean room of doom!"

He crept beneath a laser. "Check out my skillz..." he sang. "I'm just thaaaat gooood..." Dodged a camera. "I am....the most amaaaazziiing...sneaky....person...EVER!"

The alarms blared.

"Drat," he growled.

Two shapes emerged from the darkness. "Dark Ace..." one of them drawled. "Shouldn't you be in the meeting room?"

"I WAS ALMOST VICTORIOUS!" he howled. "But I must know...how did you find me?"

Cyclonis and Ravess laughed. "Easy," Ravess chortled. "You shout...like a moose...when evading cameras."

He swore again.

OOO

A/N: Oh, Dark Ace. When will you learn? The women of Cyclonia just can't be beat, no matter how..."skilled"...you are.


	84. Unhealthy

It's not healthy to have a crush on your boss, especially when said boss is an evil overlord with aspirations to take over the world.

Still, even though I'm just a Talon and she's _the _Master Cyclonis... One can't help but wish.

There's something in the way she moves, in the way she speaks... And there is black fire in her eyes. Her voice resonates, pulling something black from inside of me. I'm not evil, not by a long stretch, but I sure feel wicked when I hear her speeches, motivating us, her glorious army, to defeat the enemy.

Ah, here she comes now. Her eyes are moving swiftly from corner to corner, her hair hang--

Wait. What's that on the ground, following her?

A trail of white.

It's making a faint rustling sound.

Is it...? It can't be.

It is.

_Toilet paper_.

She seems oblivious to it all. She just walks on, proud as ever.

...Like I said. It's not healthy to have a crush on your boss.

OOO

A/N: Can it be? An update of Believe? Ye gods, this is a miracle! GASP!


	85. Fan Mail

"I will chop their heads off!!!!!"

Master Cyclonis was drowning in giant mountains of...

Fan-girl mail.

It wasn't the good type, mind you. It wasn't the, "You have awoken the yuri in me, Master. LET'S GO OUT," kind. It wasn't even the, "Your skills turn me on. Sorta," variety.

No, it was the,

"HOW COULD YOU BLOW UP THE DARK ACE OMG I HATE YOU."

The mother of all fan-girly daughters.

THE BIG ONE.

No hyperbole could wrap itself around _this _opened can of worms.

The Dark Ace was wondering exactly what was going on as he stood in front of his Master's desk. "Look, if you'd just explain--"

"Apparently, in some alternate universe-slash-cartoon world, I... made you explode into a million pieces... or something along those lines..." Cyclonis' face was turning red. Of the beet variety. "Do you realize how many death threats are here? I mean... Not even mother got this many, and she chopped heads off faster than Snipe eats wiener-dogs..."

The Dark Ace mumbled something about "letting his figure go."

"Seriously, why would I blow you up?" Cyclonis ranted. "I... You're a valuable asset!"

The Dark Ace gritted his teeth and tried not to feel _too _offended. "Master, perhaps you should calm--"

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!" She picked a letter up. "NEW MISSION! We're making a portal and we're going to go chop this... Asaph Fipke man's head off!"

"Mas--"

"NOW!"

"Ma--"

"DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?!"

"M--"

"GO OR I REALLY WILL BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF!"

The Dark Ace silently retreated from her office.

"Females these days," he grunted.

OOO

A/N. Oh-ho-ho...


End file.
